How Fattening Are Beef Enchiladas?

Enchiladas usually consist of tortillas wrapped around a filling of meat, beans or vegetables and then covered in a chili or cheese sauce. Like many Mexican dishes, they can be quite fattening. If you are watching your weight, you may want to choose one of the healthier Mexican entrees, or make your beef enchiladas yourself so that you can limit the fat and calories they contain.

Nutrition Information

Each 192-gram beef and cheese enchilada contains 323 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrate, 12 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat, including 9 grams of saturated fat. This is 28 percent of the daily value for total fat and 45 percent of the DV for saturated fat.

Making It Healthier

You can make enchiladas a little healthier by making a few changes. Enchiladas filled with beans or vegetables will be lower in fat and calories than those filled with higher fat meats. If you do use meat, choose cuts that are low in fat and remove visible fat. Use only a small amount of low-fat cheese and avoid frying the tortillas before you fill them and bake the enchiladas. Choose a chili sauce over a cheese sauce to top the dish. Do not top your enchiladas with sour cream or guacamole, as both are high in fat.

Limiting Portion Size

Avoid large portions to help limit the amount of fat and calories you consume. Eat just one beef enchilada along with some of the healthier options available for sides. A side salad can help fill you up without a lot of calories, and plain brown rice and black beans can be healthy if they aren't cooked with a lot of fat. Avoid refried beans cooked with fat, tortilla chips and Mexican rice, all of which tend to be high in fat and calories.

Healthier Alternatives

Fish or chicken soft tacos made with whole-wheat tortillas and fresco-style or bean and vegetable burritos are among the healthier options for Mexican food. Top your entree with salsa to boost your vegetable intake while keeping the fat and calorie content of your entree to a minimum. Limit the amount of cheese your use on your Mexican food, and make the cheese you do use one of the lower-fat varieties.